Iron Heart
by Raven06
Summary: -movieverse- Tony Stark: playboy billionaire, gambler, drinker, Iron Man and...cousin? Tony’s cousin Piper shows up on his doorstep and turns his world upside down. But, just what will the press think when they find out about his cousin living with him?
1. Piper Stark

Fandom: Iron Man

**Iron Heart I**

Fandom: Iron Man

Stats

Name: Piper Stark

Age: 19

Sex: F

Date of Birth: March 29, 1988

Place of Birth: Humboldt, California

Element: Fire (Aries)

Theme Song: Now is Forever (Eiffel 65)

Miscellaneous

Accent: American

Blood Type: B-

Dislikes: being cold, sitting still, blood, pink, yelling

Likes: reading, working with her hands, drawing, writing, relaxing with Tony

Least Favorite Food: fried eggs

Favorite Food: cheese burger

Physical

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 167lbs

Hair Color: dark brown, pixie cut

Eye Color: bright blue

Piercings/Tattoos: Left ear- silver stud in the lobe, silver hoop in the cartilage Right ear- silver stud in the lobe

Favorite outfit: faded jeans, black sleeveless and a pair of scuffed up black boots

Mental Two of these are done in a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best.

Intelligence (scale of 1-10): 6

Eyesight: 20/20

Willpower: 8

Mentality: sane

Other: Piper is the first cousin of Tony on his father's side, however she isn't anywhere _near_ as mechanically inclined as him or his father. But if you give her a tool kit and she can take _anything _apart.

Biography-in-Brief: Piper was born and raised in Humboldt, California with her mom and dad. While there she went to public school and excelled in English and Art, much to her parents disappointments. Her mother was a chemical engineer and her father was an architect with a side hobby of cars.


	2. Thousand Watt Smile

Iron Heart II

**Iron Heart II**

It was a sunny day in Malibu, California and Tony Stark was enjoying every second of it. He sat on his porch that overlooked the ocean and sipped on his Scotch leisurely. Sighing he closed his eyes behind his strongly tinted sunglasses and let the sun warm him to his very core. _This is the life, _he thought. Not even a second later Jarvis spoke.

"Sir, there is someone at the front door," he said. Tony furrowed his brow at this.

"Jarvis, do I have any appointments today?" The multibillionaire asked as he sat himself up.

"I have no record of any such appointments," the computer confirmed. Tony sighed and reluctantly got to his feet. _Figures, _he thought as he made his way back inside and took his sunglasses off. _The one day I give Pepper off someone comes and wants to harass my ass._

Opening the door to his mountain top mansion his deep brown eyes came to rest on a young woman that he hadn't seen in _at least _a year.

"P-Piper?" Tony stammered out in a shocked tone.

Piper Stark was Tony's first cousin on his father's side and lived in Northern California. Piper had a head of dark brown hair, much like his own, in a short pixie cut that framed her bright blue eyes perfectly. She stood 5'4" and had a firm build on her with a good amount of curves.

"Hey," she said as she gave him a thousand watt smile. Tony was at a loss for words, so he did the only thing he could think of. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a huge hug. The two of them had been really close in the past, like brother and sister, but over the years Piper's parents had bogged her down with college work, giving her little to no time for herself, more or less any friends.

"What are you doing all the way down here?" He asked as he led her inside and sat her down on the couch.

"Just needed a change of scenery," she said with a smile as she looked around. "Nice place you got here." Tony smiled at his cousin and decided to show her around Malibu, but first he wanted to introduce her to someone.

"Piper I want you to meet Jarvis. Jarvis say hello to my cousin Piper," he said.

"Hello Ms. Stark," Jarvis said politely. Piper started slightly and looked around for the source of the voice. Tony couldn't help but laugh slightly at his cousin's confusion, however she quickly figure it out.

"You're mean," she said to Tony in a mock angry voice. "Oh and Jarvis, its Piper, just Piper."

"As you wish Piper," Jarvis said with a hint of amusement in his voice. Tony was just about to say something when he noticed the backpack at the young woman's feet.

"Piper."

"Yah?"

"Do your parents know you're here?" He asked seriously, his dark brown eyes never leaving her bright blue ones.

"Uh…yes?" She said sheepishly. Tony rolled his eyes at her response, Piper had always been a horrible liar.

"Jarvis get-" Tony didn't get to finish his sentence before Piper cut him off.

"I ran away!" She blurted out. Tony looked at his younger cousin and saw the pained look on her face.

"Why?" He asked, clearly very confused. The billionaire knew that Piper's parents were working her hard but he never thought that she would actually run away. The nineteen year old fidgeted with her fingers uneasily.

"Piper you can tell me," he said as he rested one of his warm hands on hers. Piper's blue eyes welled up with tears as she pulled her hand from his and slid off the green zip-up sweater that she had been wearing.

Tony's blood boiled when he saw his 'little sister's' arms. They were covered in purple and blue bruises in various stages of healing. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who had done this to her.

"How long?" He asked.

"A few weeks, maybe a month," Piper said softly as she slid her jacket back on to hide the damage.

"Shall I call the authorities sir?" Jarvis asked.

"No!" Piper interjected.

"Piper-" Tony sighed.

"I doubt they even know I'm missing. I left early yesterday morning before my classes started," she explained.

"And how did you get here so fast?" The older of the two inquired, but he already had a guess.

"Ducati's are great bikes," Piper said as an evil smirk spread across her normally innocent face. Tony simply shook his head, though he was smiling, and ruffled her hair playfully.

"Come on, lets get a bite to eat," he said as he grabbed his leather coat from the closet and headed down the stairs to his workshop and garage.

The two of them made their way to the basement and Tony couldn't help but smirk at Piper's wide and wondering eyes.

"Whoa," the blue eyed teen said softly as she took in her surroundings. Her brown eyed cousin knew that she wasn't very mechanically inclined, but that didn't mean that she didn't know her way around a workshop.

"Over here genius," he called playfully as he opened the drivers side door of his silver A8 Audi. Piper's head whipped around, closely followed by her body, as she sprinted across the room, jumping over several tool kits as she went.

Smiling she slid into the silver sports car and marveled at the interior, which was all leather and chrome. Tony turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. A smile spread across Piper's face and she rolled down her window.

"Bye Jarvis!" She yelled as Tony peeled out of the garage.


	3. Dressing Up

Iron Heart III

**Iron Heart III**

Ten minutes later the two of them were sitting in the parking lot of a Burger King and eating their respective burgers and fries.

"I thought you had an assistant," the blue eyed teen said as she took a sip of her soda.

"I do," Tony replied. "Her name's Pepper and I gave her the day off." Just as Piper was about to reply, his cell phone started to ring loudly. Sighing, Tony reached into his pocket and pulled it out. The display read Jarvis.

"What is it Jarvis?" He asked as he took a drink of his soda.

"Sir, I'm just calling to remind you that you have a charity event tonight at nine," he said. Tony sighed and rubbed his eyes as if tired.

"Alright, thanks Jarvis," the billionaire sighed, then hung up.

"What was all that about?" Piper asked eating a fry.

"Apparently I have a charity thing to go to tonight," Tony said in a not so thrilled tone as he wrinkled his nose slightly.

"Who are you going with?" Piper asked, her interest peaked.

"No one," he replied as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. Piper's jaw dropped when she heard her cousin say that.

"Dude, you don't go to a shindig like this alone," She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"And who do you purpose I go with?" Tony replied as he stopped at a red light. Piper paused for a moment and tapped her chin as she thought.

"You could always ask Pepper," the blue eyed teen replied with a smirk. The older of the two choked on his soda and gave Piper a look.

"Or not," she said with a laugh as the light turned green.

When the two of them pulled up to Tony's white house Piper spoke for the first time since the stop light.

"Let me out here," she said as she unbuckled herself. The brown eyed man gave her a look.

"I just need to pull my bike in," she said with a laugh as she got out.

As Tony watched Piper walk over to her father's Ducati, he noticed that she was favoring her right side. _I'll need to get Jarvis to take a look at that, _he thought as the Ducati's engine roared to life. He let Piper pull the dark blue motorcycle in first and then he followed.

Once the two of them were in the garage, Tony got out of his silver car and a sudden idea struck him. Glancing at his watch he found that it was only a little past four in the afternoon.

"Jarvis, the benefit tonight, is it white or black tie?" He asked.

"It is black tie, Sir," the computer replied. A smirk tugged at the corner of the billionaire's mouth. This didn't go unnoticed by Piper.

"What are you plotting Tony?" The blue eyed teen asked as she ran a hand through her short dark brown hair. Said man turned and looked at his younger cousin with a mischievous glint in his brown eyes.

"Wanna go shopping?" He said as the smirk became a full blown smile. Piper's bright blue eyes widened, her face paled considerably and she made a mad dash for the door. She knew all too well what Tony was asking of her and she wanted no part of it what so ever.

Tony grabbed her around the waist and, after a bit of struggling, pinned her to the ground.

"Please Piper?" Tony begged.

"NO!" Was the nineteen year olds response as she continued to struggle against her favorite cousin's hold. "You _know_ how much I hate dressing up! _And_ how much I hate stuck up rich people!" Tony sighed and released his hold on her so she could sit up. It was no big secret that Piper Stark hated getting dressed up. More specifically: dresses. His mind suddenly drifted back to her graduation.

_At her High School graduation, which Tony cancelled all plans so he could attend, the requirement was for women to wear dresses and men to wear suits. Piper came dressed in a pair of dress slacks and a dress shirt. Needless to say the faculty of the school were not amused. They raised such a big stink over it that they weren't going to let her receive her diploma._

_Tony had gone back stage to see his 'little sister' before the ceremony started only to see her arguing with the Principal and Vice Principal of her school, both of them men. _

"_You are not dressed in the proper attire so we are not going to let you receive your diploma, at least not here," the Principal said in a haughty voice as he looked at her in a disgusted manner. _

"_What the hell, its not like anyone is going to see it!" Piper yelled back angrily, he hands balled into fists._

"_It is a tradition that must be upheld by the students," the Vice Principal said in a stuck up manner. Piper narrowed her blazing blue eyes at them angrily._

"_Well you can take my diploma and shove it up your-" she stopped when she saw Tony walking down the hallway. The two older men turned around and their eyes went wide when they saw Tony Stark walking down the hall._

"_TONY!" Piper exclaimed as she shoved past the two stunned older men and hugged him tightly. Tony smiled and hugged her back just as tightly. No one bothered her for the rest of the evening._

"Will you go if I promise that you wont have to wear a dress?" He said as he tilted his head so he could see Piper's bright blue eyes. There was a pause.

"Fine" She sighed. The brown haired billionaire smiled broadly and gave her a huge hug.

"Yah, yah I love you too. Now get off," she said as she tried to act angry at him. Tony laughed and helped her to her feet.

"Jarvis, call my tailor and tell him that I'm going to be bringing some clothes by this afternoon," Tony said as he pulled out the keys for his dark blue 1967 Shelby Cobra. "Come on Piper, we're going down town to Savvy's to get you a tux."


	4. Drink

Iron Heart IV

**Iron Heart IV**

It was fifteen minutes till seven and Tony was pacing the length of the living room, glancing at his watch every five seconds.

"Piper, come on," he said knocking on the door of the guest room.

"Are you sure this is going to be ok with everyone there?" She asked as she cracked opened the door. Tony couldn't help but smile at the unsure look in her bright blue eyes.

"Piper, it's _my _charity event. If I say it's ok, it is," he said as he pushed the door open the rest of the way. His little cousin stood in the middle of the room with her eyes focused on her hands.

Piper was wearing a white After Six Avalon tux with a white pintuck pleated shirt with a laydown collar. The jacket was white just like the pants and fitted her nicely. The vest was black and matched her black and white square toe shoes perfectly. The blue eyed teen had borrowed some of Tony's hair gel and put the slightest bit in her hair, just so it would stay slightly spiky with the bangs slightly to the right. She still had her silver earrings in but wore no other jewelry, not even a watch.

"You look great," he said as he adjusted her collar and smoothed it out.

"Thanks," Piper said as a small smile crept across her face. Before Tony could say anything, Jarvis spoke.

"Sir, it's seven fifty," Jarvis said in his usual calm manner.

"Gah!" Tony grabbed Piper's hand and dragged her down to the basement behind him.

Once the two of them were down there, Tony grabbed the keys for his silver Audi and slid into the sports car. The instant Piper closed the door Tony gunned the engine and they flew out of the garage and down the road.

As Tony sped down the road, expertly weaving in and out of cars, Piper got the chance to see what he was wearing. The multibillionaire was wearing a black Calvin Klein two-button jacket with a notch lapel, which was complimented by the white point collar shirt underneath it. What made Piper smile was the wine colored vest and tie. She remembered telling him once before that he should wear more warm colors.

It took the two of them less then an hour, with Tony's driving, to get to the hotel in Laguna Beach that the event was being held at. Piper's blue eyes widened when she saw that it was the Surf and Sand Resort.

"Damn Tony," she said with a laugh. "When you throw a party you go all out." The brown haired billionaire smiled and stopped outside the resort doors and Piper then noticed just how many people were there. It vaguely reminded her of something like the Oscars. Tony saw the look on his little cousin's face and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You ok?" It was a stupid question, but he still asked.

"Yah, just a little nervous," she said with a hesitant smile.

"Just stay close to me," as he said that he opened his door. Piper's ears were immediately assaulted by the sound of screaming fan-girls and yelling photographers. Tony waved to all of them briefly and then helped his scared cousin out of the silver Audi.

Piper hesitantly got out of the sport car and the crowd muted for a split second, only to start up even louder then before. The young woman clung to Tony's arm like a lifeline as the two of them made their way to the revolving door of the resort.

The blue eyed teen was sure that there were _at least_ twenty different magazines and newspapers trying to get Tony's attention. Each person was trying to yell over the other and it was giving the young woman a killer headache. She didn't realize it but she tightened her hold on her cousin's arm. Tony felt this and draped an arm over her shoulders in a comforting manner.

When the two of them made it though the revolving doors of the resort, Piper gave Tony a glare. He knew that Piper _hated _crowds but he knew that if he had told her how many people were gonna be there that she wouldn't have come. He gave her an apologetic smile but her frown didn't dissipate. Said billionaire was saved from his cousin's wrath by his old friend James Rhodes walking up to him.

"Hey Tony," Rhodes said with a smile as he shook his friends hand. "We were all starting to wonder of you were gonna show. Who's your friend?" He asked upon seeing Piper.

"Rhodes, Piper. Piper, Rhodes," Tony said gesturing to each as he said their name. The blue eyed teen smiled at the Airman and shook his hand in greeting.

"I love a man in uniform," she said with a smile. Rhodes laughed and was just about to say something but Piper ran off after her cousin that was heading straight for the bar.

"And what do you think you're doing?" She asked grabbing the sleeve of his coat.

"Getting a drink," he replied calmly as the bartender handed him a martini.

"I don't think so," Piper said and tried to pry the glass out of his hand. Tony raised an eyebrow at her but didn't loosen his hold on the glass.

"Yes I am," he replied evenly.

"No you're not," she growled dangerously as she tried again to pull the drink away from him. Piper had a very strict no drinking and driving policy. Tony knew this but he _really _wanted a drink.

"Yes I am."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!" Tony gave a defiant tug and the drink flew out of his hand and spilled all over the front of Piper's tux.


End file.
